The Washington critic., 1887-11-01
WASHINGTON, NOV. /, 1887.
rs THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO he
TRUSTED

am opposed to Increasing the power OF the
Government. We had better put up
a while longer with the present evil and en-
doavor to find remedy than TO adopt meas
urc that may in the end prove greater
MONOPOLY.
The CRrTfC agrees with Mr.. Herbert
that great concentrations OF power are
on general principles not to be desired
and under certain circumstances are
frnught with danger. But in coun.
try like this, with Its immense and
diversified interests, and under gov
ernnent like ours, with It's wonderful
network OF machinery, covering every
square mile and reaching to the utter.
most parts Of the Union, such coucen.
trations Of power are unavoidable.
Power has got TO be lodged some
where and a good deal of It, The
storage batteries requisite to keep the
Government In motion are necessarily
a vast, consolidated force; but 1t is the
representative force of the people, Mr..
Herbert should recollect.
Whether 1t is the more dangerous
when centred In the Government or
vested In close corporation is the
question at Issue.
We are told thea postal telegraph
would create at least 10000 more
office holders. But what of that? Is
there any greater risk in placing these
men, with the $4,000 miles of wire
they operate, In the hands Of bureau
created by Congress than there is in
leaving the manipulation OF this enor.
nous franchise TO the sole control OF
Jay Gould9
The telegraph system in the hands Of
the Government would be managed
more In the interest of the people, be.
cause Its rates would be cheapened to
the minimum limit. Is 1t fair to say
that 1t wouldn't be as honestly man.
agedi Is 1t fair to say that 1t would
be put to corrupt uses when run by the
people, and kept above such uses when
run by private individuals?
THE CRITto looks upon the General
Postofiice Department as one OF the
wonders Of the world. 1t Is almost In
conceivable that 1t could be conducted
on the contract plan with the same de.
gree Of precision, energy and freedom
from abuses. That II gives to the
Administration In power the distribu.
tion of u large amount of patronage Is
true, but no party has ever seriously
complained of this.
The country has never suffered tC
any material extent because one party
or another has had the appointment Of
10000 postmasters, and 1t would suf
fer quite as little If one party or an
other had the appointment of 75,OO(
telegraph operators. The reasonable
presumption Is that the Government
would manage the telegraph system
which is nearly akin TO the posta
system, with an equal degree of hon
f..y and efficiency.
The consolidation of power which
implies Is not to be feared, for the rea
son that the same supreme authorit
which created the consolidation ca
dissolve 1t II 1t becomes source @
danger to our Institutions. AS agains
the consolidation of power In the Yves
ern Union monopoly, however, til
Government is practically powerless.
How LONG is 1t since our revenu
reform friends reached the advance
stage Of favoring an abolition OF th
internal revenue tax on tobacco?
occurs to an unsophisticated student {
the question that after reducing tn
surplus $32 ,00O, 600 q year from tn
source the margin for tariff reductio
will be considerably narrowed dowr
The correspondent of the CinclI
natl Times Star interviewed Comni
missioner Miller on this yer
subject the other day, an
Mr.. Miller was Of the opinion that tn
tax on tobacco should be let alon,
ITO remove It," he said, "will TAX
$32, ,000,0 900 year out of our revenu
and make the revision of the tariff tht
much more difficult" We alway
supposed that the protectionists wante
the Internal taxes to be lifted, so tht
the high tariff would necessarily hav
TO stay. But II seems that a goo
many revenue reformers want the SAN
thing this year. Revolutions never 9
backward, but they wObble lit
sometimes.
The New York Ereaing Post, yiel
ing to the innovating spirit Of the ag
has discarded the blanket four pa!
sheet so familiar TO its readers, and "
hereafter appear as an cight'pa
paper, enlarged to twelve pages as
casion may require. 1t retains Its su
stantal good looks, however, and,
course, preserves its editorial exct
lencies unimpaired. To meet Its !
creasing business demands 1t has al
added two new presses 10 Its cqul
ment with capacity Of $4,000 copi
an hour, and with the spirit of renew,
youth reaches forward to the front rar
of Metropolitan journalism.
THE effect of the new postal al
tariff arrangements between the Unit,
States and Mexico is already perce
tible In q large increase of trade, Il
returns from III Paso del Norte alo
showing IN increase during Septcmb
OF ss per cent. In exports from Ii
country free OF duty, and of n p
cent. In exports paying duty. II
value of the goods thus exported fr
OF duty was $4j2, ,466, and OF t
dutiable exports $237,9s4. No mo
convincing argument is needed to she
the wisdom OF legislation looking